The Queue: Let's get some pony all up in here man

Welcome back to The Queue, the daily Q&A column in which the WoW Insider team answers your questions about the World of Warcraft. Anne Stickney has totally taken over this shindig, see?

It has come to my attention that not everypony was particularly happy with a certain Mr. Caraway's recent representation of the fair pony citizens of Equestria. Let me assure you, we love ponies here. As an owner of ponies all the way back to a G1 Minty (flat hooves circa 1982, not those concave ones they came out with later -- we're talking old school ponies, man) and an avid collector of My Little Pony merchandise and memorabilia, I would like to assure all residents of Equestria that Mr. Caraway will be properly dealt with.

Please ignore any screams and/or hysterical laughter of one gone mad; I assure you that's just background noise that is all in a day's work here at WoW Insider.

Moving on, why don't we address a few pressing issues regarding the status of orcs and dragons on the internet? Aw heck, why don't we answer two questions at the same time?

Andrew R. asks:

My fiancee picked up a few of the WoW books on sale. I have to wait until Christmas to read them but so far she picked up Arthas, Stormrage and Cataclysm. Is that the order I want to read the books? Are there any books before Arthas that setup the story I should pick up?

Vector asks:

I've read the Warcraft Archive (Day of the Dragon, Lord of the Clans, The Last Guardian, Of Blood and Honor) and finishing up the War of the Ancients Archive (The Well of Eternity, The Demon Soul, The Sundering). What book(s) logically follow the Sundering?

I'm assuming by "Cataclysm," you're talking about The Shattering, Andrew. If that's the case, yep, she wants to read them in that order. As for Warcraft novels and the order in which you want to read them, there's a Lore 101 article out there that should clear up all that confusion for the both of you.

Dr. Knox asks:

Dear Queue,

I'm level capped at 85 and want myself some achievement points. What's the fastest way to become exalted with the various Horde capitals?

There are a couple of different ways you can do that! You can pick up tabards for each city that will give you rep for that particular city as you're doing heroics. These vendors are near the flight masters in the major cities. But if you're really keen on ramping up rep as quickly as possible, go around the Eastern Kingdoms and Kalimdor and clear every zone. Not only will you rack up reputation with the various city factions, but you'll be knocking out quest completion achievements for every zone and clearing a major chunk of the quests that you need for the Loremaster achievement, too!

Weyoun777 asks:

What's the deal with all these NPCs with red nameplates that don't attack players on sight? In most of the world, if you walk near a red NPC, it begins to attack you. In the Molten Front area countless waves of enemies spawn and just go right by the players to attack NPCs. It kind of drives me crazy because initially it seems like going into certain areas is suicide, when really it's as if everything is yellow. Why don't they give them orange nameplates or something (to indicate that they're bad guys but that they are otherwise occupied)?

Well, in the Molten Front, it's the druids who are doing the initial charge into the zone, not players like you and me. Of course, the bad guys are going to beeline straight for the organizers of the event. From a game standpoint, though, it'd be a pretty big mess if all those rushing invaders started punching whoever happened into the zone -- and it'd be a lot harder to complete all those quests. It really should feel like suicide, though. It's a war front.

On a completely unrelated note, your name is kinda making me want to toss you out the nearest airlock for some reason.

Dea ex Machina asks:

Something I've been wondering, is Thrall married now, or just betrothed? I'm not sure if what I witnessed at the end of that quest was a wedding or an engagement party. I mean, he JUST asked her, but maybe that's all it takes for orcs?

They're married -- or the orcish equivalent thereof. Orcs don't really have a need for major ceremonies or the urge to say yes to the dress before they tie the knot, as it were.

jishdefish asks:

I play a male Human Rogue, and I do the Molten Front dailies like many other folks, but Tauren women I save seem to swoon over me.

"I owe you a very special thank you. Find me sometime when this fight is over."

I got this message three or four times. What should I do?

Honey. What do you think that Vanish button is for?

Rymer asks:

Lore Question: So in the quests leading up to the dailies in the Firelands you visit Motoclaw and the Shrine of Malorne and you can talk to her and she says that Cenarious is the son of Malorne and Elune. However in the War of the Anceints books its stated that Cenarious is the son of Malorne and Ysera. Do you know if this is a typo or are they tring to ellude to Ysera and Elune being on in the same?

Richard Knaak actually answered this in an interview over on Blizzplanet. I'll let the answer speak for itself:

Knaak: Elune and Ysera are not the same. Here is the explanation, per Blizzard, who did not wish any further elaboration in the novel at the time:

--
According to the Sundering, it is said that Ysera is Cenarius's mother. However, Dungard the Earthen says that he thought Elune 'birthed' Cenarius.

Elune birthed Cenarius, but gave him up to Malorne because Cenarius was more a creature of the mortal world and could not be with her. Malorne, who had relations with both Elune and Ysera, knew that he could not properly care for his son, but Ysera's love was so great for Malorne that she took Cenarius as her own. Hence being his mother (or adoptive mother).

yous95 asks:

Question for the Queue:

Back in the War of the Ancients (I think) when Deathwing, then known as Neltharion, was originally driven insane by an Old God, how come the Old God targeted Deathwing and only Deathwing? Maybe he saw evil within his heart? Either way if I were the Old God, I'd try to drive a few more of my enemies insane.

Here's the deal with that: Deathwing was originally Neltharion, the Earthwarder. It was his job to watch over the deep places of Azeroth, the caverns and secret places deep beneath the earth. When the Titans originally imprisoned the Old Gods, they buried them deep beneath the earth. Neltharion just happened to be in far closer proximity to that prison than anyone else; that's why he was the first to succumb.

Then the Sundering hit, split Azeroth into bits and allowed the Old Gods just a little more reach. I'd go further into that, but instead I'll just say Sunday's Know Your Lore will be a tinfoil hat edition that you might enjoy.

macster asks:

On the subject of the dragons turning out at the World Tree, Alexstraza's looking remarkably well after she had be carried away when Deathwing used her as a chew-toy? What happened there?

In addition to the Nozdormu question, what happened to the ritual we were summoned to witness at the start of the quest before Thrall is elemental-split?

I'm pretty sure that what happens at the end of the quest line (which I'll be vague about for spoiler reasons) isn't what we were originally summoned there to witness. But there's no talk about finishing up whatever the original ritual was.

Did I miss something? Or did Bliz just drop the ball on this plot point?

Well, um, you know, love is important. Love is like oxygen. Love is a many-splendored thing; love lifts us up where we belong. All you need is love!

... man, Moulin Rouge was a great movie, wasn't it, Joe?Have questions about the World of Warcraft? The WoW Insider crew is here with The Queue, our daily Q&A column. Leave your questions in the comments, and we'll do our best to answer 'em!